UFC Fight Pass
2023 FIGHT PASS Fighters To Watch Recap Part 2
Check Out How The 2023 UFC FIGHT PASS Fighters To Watch Performed Under The Spotlight Last Year!
To kick off 2023, we gave you a handful of the most exciting prospects in MMA to keep an eye out for. Some left, some dominated, some slumped and one even earned UFC FIGHT PASS Male Fighter of the Year honors, but one thing none of them did was disappoint.
Check out part two of the 2023 UFC FIGHT PASS Fighters to Watch recap!
Kaleb Rideout
2023 record: 0-1
Overall record: 7-3
It was a slow year for one of Australia’s most exciting prospects. Known for his blood and guts wars, Rideout made his return to the Eternal MMA cage after an extended layoff and pushed Joseph Luciano to the third round, where he would ultimately suffer the loss, but he looks to rebound in the Eternal cage in early February.
Kody Steele
2023 record: 3-0
Overall record: 5-0
Kody Steele made improvements in 2023 that would take other fighters multiple years to achieve. Whether it was in the cage or on the mat, Steele seemed to steal the show at least once a month. After finishing a fighter with one of the strongest chins in Fury FC history in Nico Echeverry, Steele was likely a win away from overthrowing “King” Callum Walsh for UFC FIGHT PASS Male Fighter of the Year. If Steele can fight off injuries and string together another year like he had in 2023, he may find himself on the UFC roster by the end of 2024.
Callum Walsh
2023 record: 4-0
Overall record: 9-0
What else can be said about Callum Walsh?
Walsh gave fans a bit of everything in 2023 and won FIGHT PASS Male Fighter of the Year as a result. He put veterans to sleep, showed the fans he can dig deep and muscle out wars and has even become quite the wordsmith on the microphone. “The sky is the limit” is a relatively cliché phrase, but the who’s who of boxing only have so long before they have to take on the son of Ireland. Unless Walsh stops on a dime to take up an MMA career, you can bet the house that the 22-year-old will have an even more impressive 2024.
Tobias Harila
2023 record: 1-1
Overall record: 12-4
It was more of the same from Tobias Harila. One of the most exciting fighters showed the world exactly what it takes to be one of the toughest brawlers on the Cage Warriors roster in his Cage Warriors 153 win over Ryan Shelley. He punched his ticket to a title eliminator against James Hendin at Cage Warriors 160 that proved to everybody the only way to get him out of there is by snapping a limb. Harila was that pain that just wouldn’t go away until a slam resulted in a broken arm that had to have had James Hendin saying, “finally!”
The road to recovery will be a grueling one and Harila is likely going to take it all out on whoever he shares the cage with next.
Jacobe Smith
2023 record: 3-0
Overall record: 7-0
Jacobe Smith quietly had one of the most impressive years of any Fury FC fighter. Smith didn’t just go 3-0 on the year - he either quickly knocked out his opponents or absolutely suffocated them in the deepest waters they’ve ever been in. The Oklahoma State Cowboy turned Fury FC showstopper all of a sudden finds himself with a 7-0 record, collegiate wrestling experience and Sayif Saud in his corner. Smith made the most of 2023 and showed everybody he’s got all the makings of a dominant welterweight.
Raheam Forest
2023 record: 1-2
Overall record: 7-2
2023 wasn’t Raheam Forest’s year, but there’s plenty of positives to take away from the losing record. His lone CFFC loss was to Charles Radtke before he bounced back in a few months by putting away Treston Vines in less than 30 seconds before suffering a brutal KO loss to Danny Barlow in the closing weeks of DWCS. At only 26 years old and with some of the most explosive hands in the game, Raheam Forest will be back and better than ever in 2024.
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